Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Dec 17th, 2023 Perilous Times

Today’s Passage – 2 Timothy 3 – Titus 3; (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 81 – 85; Proverbs 17)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1

Read a previous post from this passage – “Sometimes You Have To Stand Alone“

Read the “1217 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” – (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” – (Matthew 24:6-8)

“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” – (2 Timothy 3:13)

Consider what our world has endured since the new millennium began: the terrorist attack on 9/11; several cataclysmic earthquakes; tsunamis that have wiped out hundreds of thousands of people; out of control wildfires caused by record drought conditions; economic disasters bringing record unemployment; the Middle East in complete turmoil; several hurricanes and cyclones, and even a new classification of storm called a “super storm”; the senseless slaughter of children and adults in mass shootings; politically motivated riots culminating in portions of major cities being completely overrun; a global pandemic; and just recently, the torture and slaughter of 1,200 Israelis by a murderous terrorist group. I do not think that I am overstating the condition of our world when I say that we are living in perilous times.

These man-made and natural disasters have all been prophesied long ago by God in the Bible, so we should not be too surprised by what is taking place, though we are certainly grieved and impacted by these things. But we were warned, and we should have been prepared. We have also been given the principles that we need in order to live for the Lord in these perilous days while continuing to reach people with the gospel.

The upside of all of this is that some people are thinking about God. Unfortunately, many are blaming God even for the man-made tragedies, but at least they are thinking. While some people are hiding away from church today, there are others – new people – who are showing up. Some are confused and frightened and I don’t blame them, because no matter how much we know from the Bible about the time that we are living in, there  are still a lot of details that are left out. We do know, however, that God knows  and that none of these events has taken Him by surprise, and they are all somehow part of His plan that will ultimately bring about the Millennial Kingdom of Christ, which will be preceded by the rapture of the Church when all believers will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air:

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

But this time that we are living in now is scary, and even though God’s people are not appointed to wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9), we will still likely experience some troubling days before the Lord comes back for us. The Bible gives the illustration of birth pains, which (I’m told) are very painful, but also temporary; and these perilous days, though extremely trying, are also temporary and will eventually yield to a time of greater peace, prosperity, and security. No pain, no gain.

We have established that the times are certainly perilous, and will only get worse; but what can we do? Just keep going. Keep going to church; keep going to the prayer closet; keep going soulwinning; keep loving people; keep standing for the Lord: